Chapter 31: The White Hunter

Mid-air.

Ah Jin's body blocked Gao Wen's line of sight, and also blocked Kureha's ferocious expression.

Kureha covered his wound with one hand, and raised his undamaged arm, his fingers slightly bent, squeezing the hidden trigger inside…

Bang!

A sharp armor-piercing round shot out from the mechanism within Kureha's arm armor, its speed beyond imagination, so much so that a distinct sonic boom appeared in the air.

This was a weapon designed specifically to break through enemy armor and even warships; even steel plates ten centimeters thick could be pierced easily.

Kureha did not believe anyone could survive this strike, especially under a surprise attack from him.

He would pierce through both of them in one shot!

"Die!"

Accompanied by Kureha's savage grin, Gao Wen's figure abruptly vanished.

A silver-white blade light flashed through the air; the sharp sword qi sliced the bullet clean down the middle, its speed undiminished in the slightest, and after piercing through Kureha's body, it cut across the sea surface and vanished at the edge of sight.

Only now did Ah Jin's body fall to the ground with a thud; and after seeing Kureha's body split cleanly in two down the middle, he too completely lost consciousness.

Gao Wen's attention was entirely captured by the Guanshi Zhengzong in his hand.

That feeling of using it as naturally as one's own arm—even the knight's sword that had accompanied his previous self for years had never given him that—reaching straight down to the depths of his soul.

"It's not that Kureha's armor wasn't strong enough; it's that the Guanshi Zhengzong is far too sharp—even a mere flying slash carries this kind of power!"

"Slicing through iron like mud, cutting gold and severing jade."

"From today on, we are partners!"

"Guanshi Zhengzong!"

A faint hum came from the long blade in his hand.

This made Gao Wen all the more convinced that these renowned swords, so highly prized in the world of One Piece, all possessed a kind of self-will.

And he himself had been chosen by the Guanshi Zhengzong in his hand.

Swish!

Flicking the fresh blood from the blade, Gao Wen turned around to face the distant fleet.

On the sea surface.

Dozens of pirate ships, the moment they witnessed Kureha's defeat, came to a complete halt.

One lookout after another stared at the scene here, too shocked to speak.

Especially upon seeing the corpse lying in the harbor, sliced cleanly in two, they felt a terror rising from the very depths of their souls.

"Captain… the captain is dead!"

"Captain Ah Jin was defeated, his life or death unknown—what do we do?"

"Fight or run?"

Panic spread from the harbor all the way to the pirate ships; the invincible image Kureha had built in their hearts had died so miserably—no one could help fearing they might be next.

In an instant, the fleet covering the sea turned about and fled at a speed far greater than when they had come, only to discover thick smoke billowing over the distant sea surface.

The crowd's view was completely blocked by the white smoke; only the roar of engines drew closer and closer.

"Wait!"

"What is that? When did a thick fog rise over the sea?"

"No! It's smoke!"

"No, that's a person—a man riding a water motorcycle, damn it, his whole body is made of white smoke!"

Accompanied by the cries of alarm from the Kureha Pirates.

A strangely shaped, steel-heavy water motorcycle came roaring over the distant sea surface, kicking up waves several meters high behind it.

At the same time, the crowd also got a clear look at the figure riding it.

His features were hard and stern, his face fierce; his head was covered in short white hair, yet not a single eyebrow.

Two cigars clenched between his lips, his open shirt inadvertently revealing a powerful build, and on his back was thrust a large jitte whose tip was made of sea-prism stone.

It was none other than the White Hunter, Smoker!

He had graduated from the Marines' Headquarter Officer Academy several years earlier, yet unlike the Marines of his cohort he had not chosen to remain at Marine Headquarters; instead, he had come alone to Logu Town, serving as the final line of defense of the East Blue Marines.

Watching the Kureha Pirate crew fleeing in disarray in the distance, Smoker's brow furrowed slightly; just as he was puzzling over it, his gaze met Gao Wen's, who stood holding his blade in the harbor, and faint sparks seemed to flash in the air between them.

"Knight Gao Wen? That rat really did hook a big fish!"

In an instant, Smoker understood why the Kureha Pirates had been defeated so decisively.

After all, most of the time a pirate's bounty was equivalent to his combat power.

Especially when Kureha, with a bounty of seventeen million, faced a man whose bounty was nearly triple his own—it was even more so!

After a brief moment of consideration, Smoker reached a decision in his heart.

Catch the big one, let the small ones go.

Without Kureha's leadership, the remaining small fry of the Kureha Pirates could never amount to anything.

But Gao Wen was different—the threat he alone posed was greater than that of all the pirates present combined!

Seeing the water motorcycle bearing the Marines' insignia roar past, the pirates present could not help but feel a trace of relief at having narrowly escaped death.

Only because they had already recognized the newcomer's identity.

"That guy is Smoker—the White Hunter Smoker, the monster guarding Logu Town!"

"For all these years, not a single pirate has been able to enter the Grand Line, and the biggest reason is that they can't get past him!"

"According to survivors, that guy ate a Devil Fruit and gained the ability to turn into smoke—he's immortal!"

"Neither blade nor bullet can harm his body—there's just… just no way to fight him!"

"We… we…"

"Run!"

The Krieg Pirates, who had already lost all fighting spirit because of Gao Wen's presence, now fled in every direction like madmen.

……

Gao Wen raised his eyes and gazed into the distance; within his line of sight, there was only Smoker, drawing closer and closer.

If one were to name opponents in the East Blue who could still rouse his fighting spirit yet leave him helpless, the Smoker before him would absolutely be on the list.

After all, that was a Logia user!

Even the weakest Logia, in a version without Haki, could run rampant without fear.

One must know that after the King of the Pirates entered the Grand Line, the first two BOSSes were both Logia, and the pressure they exerted far surpassed that of the later Enies Lobby arc's Rob Lucci and the Thriller Bark arc's Moria!

It can only be said that if one hadn't had his weakness found by Luffy, and the other hadn't eaten the Nika Fruit—making Luffy his weakness—the Straw Hat Pirates would absolutely never have gotten past those two arcs.

But the sheer might of a Logia itself was displayed to the fullest, and Smoker was precisely a Logia user!

"But here comes a troublesome fellow."

Gao Wen's brow furrowed.

If it were only himself, slipping away would be no problem at all.

But now Xiang Keluo was already seriously wounded, and there were subordinates disguised as Marines in the port; he could not simply look after himself and let Smoker take over Crow Harbor with ease.

Thinking of this, Gao Wen took out a Den Den Mushi from his chest and dialed Xiang Keluo's number:

"Xiang Keluo, listen to what I'm about to say now. Krieg is already dead, but a terrifying fellow has shown up from the Marines, and at best I can only hold him off for now."

"A Marine in the East Blue that even you can't handle?"

On the other end of the line, Xiang Keluo, who had just finished bandaging his wounds, gradually furrowed his brow; clearly he too had realized the severity of the problem.

Gao Wen continued:

"At least until we've mastered Armament Haki, that guy's ability is, for us, a dimensionality-reduction strike."

"What do you need me to do?"

"He's right in the port, and our ship has already been burned; you definitely won't be able to put out to sea."

"Go find the lord Gasha first; she'll find a way to help you find a place to hide."

Xiang Keluo nodded:

"Got it!"

(End of this chapter)